Personal “in-ear” monitoring systems are utilized by musicians, recording studio engineers, and live sound engineers to monitor performances on stage and in the recording studio. In-ear systems deliver a music mix directly to the musician's or engineer's ears without competing with other stage or studio sounds. These systems provide the musician or engineer with increased control over the balance and volume of instruments and tracks, and serve to protect the musician's or engineer's hearing through better sound quality at a lower volume setting. In-ear monitoring systems offer an improved alternative to conventional floor wedges or speakers, and in turn, have significantly changed the way musicians and sound engineers work on stage and in the studio.
Moreover, many consumers desire high quality audio sound, whether they are listening to music, DVD soundtracks, podcasts, or mobile telephone conversations. Users may desire small earphones. Users may also desire earphones that effectively block background ambient sounds from the user's outside environment.
Hearing aids, in-ear systems, and consumer listening devices typically utilize earphones that are engaged at least partially inside of the ear of the listener. Typical earphones have a driver mounted within a housing. Sound is conveyed from the output of the driver through a cylindrical sound port or a nozzle. A suitable ear device couples the sound port to the ear of the listener. As material such as earwax, dust, dirt, and debris may enter the sound port, they can potentially clog up the passageway that the sound passes through, blocking sound transmission and causing changes in frequency response, which can in turn affect sound quality. Additionally this may affect the internal components of the earphone rendering it inoperable. For example, outside materials can enter the sound port and alter the dampener.